By: Christopher Haymon of Adulting Digest
Survival tips for making working from home a little easier
The great advantage of working from home is that you don’t have to go to work, you’re already there. However, the biggest disadvantage of working from home is that you never leave work; you’re always there. That’s why The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada has put together some survival tips for making working from home a little easier.
Routine
It’s tempting to sit down to our computers first thing in the morning, maybe with our coffee and an easy to prepare breakfast snack, but that’s not the best way to start your day. If checking email is what you’re used to doing as soon as your eyes are open, it may have become a habit you’ll have to work hard to break.
But like any bad habit, repetition and reward are key. Make your new routine a yoga warm-up session. Nothing strenuous, just enough to get every muscle and joint awake with you.
Meals and Snacks
It is also true that although we should be eating healthier working from home, more often than not, the opposite is true. In the office, we had designated meal times. At home, mealtime can be whenever and however often we want it to be. We may only be steps away from the kitchen, so make the decision at the grocery store, not from your home office, about what you’ll be eating during the day. Remember, if it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it. There are no vending machines or co-workers bringing in donuts to you. You have total control over the food in your home.
Keep sweets out of sight, too. Science of People featured a study where secretaries who sat near a dish of Hershey Kisses ate 71% more than those whose candy dishes were opaque. Bottom line, out of sight, out of mind.
Finally, make sure you sip water throughout the day. It’s a proven fact that water helps improve brain function, from increasing productivity to helping with concentration. It’s an easy way to stay healthy, so make sure you keep a bottle or tumbler around at all times.
Sleep
You’ve got to get your zzzzzzzz’s. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night in order to be productive. Sleep is also essential to our mood, our stress levels, and even how our bodies process food. Lack of proper sleep increases your risk for a multitude of chronic illnesses, including obesity.
Exercise late in the day or early evening for the maximum benefit of help with sleeping. Do not bring your laptop into the bedroom with you, and make it as dark as you can, taking out or covering any electronics that are giving off even a small pinpoint of light.
Your Home Office Energy
If there’s one thing we sorely miss in our corporate offices, it’s the janitorial service who emptied our wastebaskets and vacuumed the rugs. Now we’re in charge of all of that and it happens more often than not that those things get tended to last.
Clutter can cause anxiety and other negative emotions, along with a general feeling of being unwell. Get rid of negative energy to get rid of your stress. Toss clutter as soon as it accumulates. Open curtains and let the sunlight in. If weather permits, open the windows too, allowing for fresh air to circulate. Clean with natural products to avoid the strongly scented cleaners that can induce headaches. Install a UV light to your HVAC system to cut down on allergens.
A nice way to reduce stress in the middle of the workday is to take a walk, even if it’s just to the mailbox, although around the block is better. Fresh flowers have been shown to stimulate those feel-good hormones, serotonin. That can be a beautiful way to boost your mood and allow you to be more productive. Prolonged sitting is often referred to as the new smoking, so you’ll be doing your body a favor as well.
The benefits of working from home really do outweigh the negatives. We’re using less gas so we’re polluting the air less. We’re able to adjust our schedule to allow us more quality family time. And we’re learning how to be our own bosses and managers. It’s a learning curve, but take heart in knowing that you’re not alone, we’re all figuring this out together.
The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada is the most respected and sought after wedding planner training available. You can get certified in-class or on-line (virtually). Call 416-390-9292
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